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Top Gear Controversy over doughnuts near London war memorial

Top Gear footage showing Matt LeBlanc and another professional driver doing doughnuts near a war memorial in London will likely never be aired, host Chris Evans told the BBC.

“That footage will definitely not go on the air, no question about it, Evans said. “We’re all mortified by it, so absolutely, 100-percent, it should not be shown.”

He added he doesn’t have the final say, but expected producers would agree with him.

The rebooted auto enthusiast show apparently filmed LeBlanc and another driver doing the smoky stunts near the Whitehall Cenotaph, a 96-year-old memorial originally dedicated to honor those killed in World War 1. It’s since become the United Kingdom’s national war memorial.

The Westminster City Council, which governs the London borough where the Cenotaph is located, said in a statement that the stunts were not approved as part of its agreement to allow TG to film.

“At no time had the BBC producers made Westminster City Council aware that the car was going to be doing anything but drive down Whitehall,” the statement said. “There was no discussion between BBC producers and Westminster City Council about wheel spins and a ‘doughnut’ and permission would not have been given to do so.”

The council’s statement said it welcomed Evans’ comments and apologized for the incident. Evans is leading a new cast of presenters, including the former Friends star LeBlanc, which has started filming a new season.

Road safety charity Break are calling for a review of speed limits on rural single-carriageway roads as a report is released revealing that drivers don’t feel safe travelling at the default 60mph speed limit.